Ḥaṭṭīn, Battle of(July 4, 1187), battle in northern Palestine that marked the defeat and annihilation of the Christian Crusader armies of Guy de Lusignan, king of Jerusalem (reigned 1186–92), by the Muslim forces of Saladin. It paved the way for the Muslim reconquest of the city of Jerusalem (October 1187) and of the greater part of the three Latin States—Tripoli, Antioch, and Jerusalem—thus nullifying the achievements made in the Holy Land by the leaders of the first Crusades and alerting Europe to the need for a third Crusade.

In July 1187 the Crusaders were camped at Sepphoris, about 20 miles (32 km) west of the Sea of Galilee, when word reached them that Saladin had attacked the city of Tiberias along the lake. On July 3 about 1520,000 Crusaders abandoned their camp to go to the relief of the besieged city. Their route took them through a hot, arid plain where, halfway to Tiberias, they ran out of water while under continual harassment from Saladin’s cavalry. The Crusaders’ condition worsened after a night spent without water, but the next morning they resumed their march, heading toward a range of hills above the village of Ḥaṭṭīn.

Confronted by Saladin’s army, the Crusaders, who were no longer able to fight effectively, left the road and were driven back against the two largest hills, the Horns of Ḥaṭṭīn, by the Muslims. There they suffered a decisive defeat at the hands of the 18,Although mounted elements of the Crusader army made repeated charges against the Muslim lines, they were unable to effect any significant breakthrough. The 30,000-man Muslim army . Most slaughtered many of the Crusaders were slaughtered on the field , but and captured a shard of the True Cross, a Christian relic that had been carried into the battle by the bishop of Acre. Saladin spared the lives of King Guy and most of the Christian lords, but he personally slew Reginald of Châtillon as an oath breaker for his role in shattering the truce that had been in place between Saladin and the Crusader states. On the day after the battle, Saladin launched his campaign to retake the city of Jerusalem.